As a coach, I always recommend a client wear some sort of device that enables them to track their heart rate. Most people are rockin an Apple Watch, FitBit, Whoop, Oura Ring, etc. The main reason this makes a difference is that our heart rate can be the guide to our rest times. Focusing more on HR% and less on the calories we burn can be the difference between a workout that ends with that super rewarding, "I kicked my own ass", feeling and a workout that leaves you burnt out and nauseous. If your particular tracker gives you an active HR%, this next section is much more simple. Quick and dirty, start with 220 and subtract your age (ex. 220-30yr old = 190). This value is a fairly inaccurate estimate of your Max HR (before things might get sketchy), in my example it gives us 190bpm. Therefore, if my heart is reading 190bpm on my Apple Watch I would be at 100%. After a bout of fairly intense exercise, the heart should get to anywhere between 75-85% of our Max HR, from our 190bpm example it would be roughly between 142-162bpm*. What's really important is monitoring HR while resting after exercise. Resting until the HR comes back down between 60-70% (for my example, 114-133bpm) can increase the effectiveness of your next set by lowering your level of fatigue from previous sets. In the long term this would drastically lower your overall fatigue levels from weekly training sessions. This would have additional benefits like reducing injury risks, improving more consistently, and generally feeling better. Basically, by monitoring and understanding your heart rate, you can make every workout a custom fit to your fitness level, your energy level, and your capabilities. It allows you to learn about your body, and as you improve your fitness level you'll notice the rest times start to shrink. A healthy heart can spring into action quickly and come back to rest quickly. It might feel really great for some to leave the gym crawling, but if you want to use the gym more often, more comfortably, safer and smarter... keep a watch on your heart.

As a new member, kick off your engagement and start increasing your level within the group! Add a comment saying where you're at in the world!